" Excuse me Byan ".
The woman turns to the articulated Middle eastern accent accent behind her. Her eyes are forced to look up at the tall stranger. ( Though it was more of an old world accent ). The new world humans couldn't tell the difference.
He was wearing a baggy white shirt with long sleeves that stopped all the way at his knuckles, colourful shorts like the kinds you wear on the beach, red and the design was the break of dawn. Tall slides with black fur on top.
Very strange indeed.
" Yes?".
Why didn't she just keep walking. It's good manners to be nice to strangers but it's very bothersome to entertain every...,
" Do you know where the European Security Base is located?"
The tall weirdly dressed man brings out his phone and shows her Google map.
" I have been trying to find it on this map but my efforts are rebuck. lack of basic knowledge regarding these electronic screens ".
The woman was dumbfounded. It was by his weird dressing, blood coloured hair as it was by his middle eastern grandiose way of speaking. Or maybe he had the most beautiful face she'd ever seen.
Either way this man creeped her the hell out. And the ESB ( European Security Bases are buildings located across America that serve as a sort of assurance to the partnership between America and the European countries. They provide surveillance, train heroes, test and develop state of the art tech all which they share with several countries across Europe. They are symbols of peace ).
The closest ESB was the one in Florida. This is Alabama.
" Emm, I think there's one in Florida ", she said while putting on her ear piece and taking a few steps back. She walked away
' Finally, I'm out '.
What a weirdo.
Baran looked on. Without his superhero suit no one recognised him. The people in America are so hostile.
Maybe he should dye his hair so they don't think him eccentric.
He scoffs at himself knowing he'd never do that. And besides, he'd never live a day without messing with someone.
The woman was already metres away from the red haired stranger and yet, there he was. Right In front of her. Again.
What is this guys deal. Did he teleport?
" Sorry bayan ".
He extends his phone to her.
" But could you mark the location of ehhh.
" Florida ", she said completing his sentence.
" Yes Florida ". He shakes his head and extends the phone further. " Hakuth ".
' She really can't tell I'm faking this accent can she. What a dummy ', Baran thought. ' cute though '.
Her eyes clearly express her disgust to his handsome smug face.
' I'm guessing Hakuth means please '.
She groaned loudly and took the phone. It was then she noticed the many scars on the man's large hands.
The beautiful woman scrolled through and after completing his request she hands the phone to him.
He stared down at her, hands clasped behind his back. An eerie smile staring directly at her eyes.
She's still holding his phone. Something was definitely wrong.... It was suddenly. Forthwith the air wouldn't come into her throat, and her lungs were gasping. She had trouble breathing. The air became thick. And right now....she felt very powerless.
His eyes were a deep void blue and his neck level red hair was horribly gelled. It was made to sweep backwards revealing that devilishly handsome face. Sharp vampiric teeth.
His grin widened. He leaned into the woman till his head was level with her ear. The sound of the scorchers breathing made her quake in fear.
She shivered. Why is she in this situation.
" Put your number in my phone right now ".
That accent was gone just as fast as her comfort.
His voice was deep like miles into an ocean where all is dark. He still hasn't pulled back from her ear. She felt his gaze staring at her hand. The one that held his phone. He's waiting for her to do.....to do as he asked. No.
As he commanded.
She was not attracted to him even though he was undeniably beautiful. The kind that made most models look ugly. The kind that only exists once in a century. Only present in the face of someone from the old world lands. Everything about this weirdly dressed foreigner gnawed at her conscience. Yet if she said no what would happen.
He didn't seem like he was ready to accept a no. Infact it felt that if she uttered that word he would tear off her head with his teeth. So this was true malice.
She couldn't even think straight. She wasn't dumb. She knew he was using arcane on her. So....what the heck. He's hot....she's definitely not just giving him her number because...she...she was scared. Yes..yes no way that's the reason.
She did as he asked. A cold sweat ran down her body
" What's your name ".
The man waited still, his head within whispering distance of her ear. He didn't move a millimeter. She couldn't even feel his breath.
Oh no. Did she not do what he wanted.
The world she stood on felt heavy and she couldn't move or scream if she wanted to. The passersby were equivalent to the moving winds in a grassland. Irrelevant ...as if they weren't even there.
Then she heard him smile. The sound of his red lips curling into his dimples. He moved slowly and his lips against her ear sending her body pulsing with fear and disgust.
" It is Baran. Baran Vaughn Gunnes ".
This man was not to be trifled with. His voice, his lips. Everything shivered her to the bone and not in a good way.
Still whispering to her ear The scorcher said to her," What's yours?"
" June Avery ", she answered in great haste wanting nothing more than to run away.
His lips widened, a terrible smile again. June was so detached from reality. She was in an unbelievably ridiculous yet horrifying situation.
Who knew a stranger asking for your number could be this scary.
Little did June know he was an old worlder, not just any old-worlder but a son of the Vaughn Gunes family. A man hailing from Voaabisinia Doma.
Her life had never felt so far from her control. It didn't feel real. Was this the same guy she talked to minutes ago?
She was consumed by fear that she hadn't realised the man already was gone. He left without a trace. Disappeared
Immediately June took her phone and tried to delete his contact. She tried but. But.
He would kill her. Right? But....What the heck.
Baran is ranked as one of the fastest and most lethal heroes in the world. If not for his joy chasing and manipulative nature he would have been ranked higher than 8.
Sentinels possess enough archaic energy to put thousands of people in a coma just with enough contact.
Baran released enough to bypass people's common sense and puts them in a catatonic enfeebled state.
Then he uses this to his advantage. He is indeed a Machiavelli. He uses his arcane mostly to get what he wants and to convince weak willed people.
When a regular human is in close vicinity to a sentinel they are put in the danger of being hit with way more archaic energy than their nervous system and brain could handle.
Especially if the sentinel was not interested in negating their archaic energy.
It's why poor June had trouble thinking straight.
She had just met Rank 8. Sentinel of The House of Nemesis ( one of the major hero teams in America ). And son of the Vaughn Gunes Family.
Baran the scorcher.
..., Back in the Florida Europe Security Base.
" That him? ".
It is the voice that echoes through the observation room. A man with spiky purple hair, a gaunt yet proud face and the most eccentric mustache you will ever see.
He stared at the scientists waiting for them to answer.
It takes some time for them to register the man's identity. Then they realised they spoke to him on the phone. It was the first time anyone had actually seen him in person. They'd expected him to look more intimidating. But certainly his appearance is as rare as described.
Captain of the House of Nemesis.
Captain Guile.
" Yes sir ", replies one of the female analytical scientists
Captain Guile walked in. He's short, almost all the scientist are taller than him.
He focussed his large purple eyes at the fiend sleeping and mumbling to itself.
Here's a more straightforward, practical version:
---
The analytics room was small and functional, built for observation rather than comfort. Its main feature was a large one-way viewing pane that covered most of the wall—thick, reinforced glass designed for constant monitoring.
On the other side of the glass was a massive containment chamber. The interior was completely white and brightly lit, with smooth surfaces and no visible fixtures. The room was deliberately empty and open, providing a clear line of sight from every angle. The difference in scale was almost boundless—the scienctists worked in this compact space, while the white containment was wide, vast and monolithic in absolution. Tall,, and unobstructed, created to hold and observe anything placed inside. Restrain when it is killed. Bound.
The analysis room itself is very clean. The walls are painted pitch black. So dark indeed that the yellow lights in the ceiling couldn't brighten them but only touch the floor. A floor which was designed with cold white tiles, the same ones in the containment room.
There's office chairs but no one's sitting on them. Then there's all sorts of platforms with buttons for analysing Archaic energy, life, body damage, breathing, mass and equilibrium.
Guile is wearing a black suit and a white tie but as usual the rumors were true. He never wears shoes. His feet are barely visible
he's wearing such baggy black pants.
" Well that is one big bed ".
Guile reached for his pocket and pulled out two red lollipops. His hands moved towards the closest scientist offering him the sweet.
" No thank you ".
Guile shrugs his shoulders and sits on one of the chairs then spins it. " Always liked these spinning chairs ". Then he puts both sweets into his mouth. He spins again till he's facing the head scientist who has been talking to him.
" Who was he before ".
The scientist eyebrows go up unable to get his eyes off that ridiculous mustache. When he stops himself from staring he quickly goes through some well arranged files on a table. He pulls out a pair of them.
" Theodore Vaughn Gunes. Twenty three year old. No hero license, He's a Lowest rank hero_
" What ?"
" He's a lowest rank hero sir ".
" Not that ". The Captain leaned forward out of his chair. " You said his name was Vaughn Gunes ?"
" Yes sir, he's the fourth son of the Vaughn Gunes family ".
" Well ", he huffed, leaning back to the chair, "I didn't even know Baran had another older brother ".
The file glowing, swarmed by purple archaic energy. Guile's arcane. So it floated off the scientist's hands, laid out perfectly suspended in air.
Guile read through it. Bla bla. More bla bla. He really was a loser. Then the captain's gaze went upwards, to the passport.
" Well they look nothing alike ".
When he was done with the file, it floated back to the table.
Then the Captain leaned back into his chair and sucked at his sweets for half a minute all while spinning.
" Tell me something doctor. It said he possessed archaic dominion that allowed him to never be killed ".
Guiles voice grew deeper and more serious as he crushed one of the sweets.
" Does that sound normal to you Doctor?".
The Chief scientist felt slightly intimidated.
" Well it is unusual but I think it's worth noting that he's never actually been attacked by someone as strong as a sentinel or stronger. It's just that he has extremely high level regeneration, far beyond what someone at his level should be capable of ", a long sigh almost came out the scientist, almost. " If he was attacked by a sentinel or higher. Or someone with arcane negating abilities he would be killed ".
The captain's face bore a most wary expression. For he said nothing but started into the blank space that stood before him.
" He ", the captain finally spoke, " defeated whirl woman with one attack. Even I can't do that ".
There was another beat of silence. It certainly made the scientists uncomfortable. It was their job to provide answers and here they were no different than a hero, no different than a civilian.
Then Captain Guile spined his chair to the direction of the glass looking at Theo.
" Something isn't right here ".
FORESEEN. INDEED. FORESEEN.
Guile's attention snapped upwards and his purple eyes scanned precisely. " Ughh ", He groaned. They went downwards almost relenting. And his face was very annoyed, his mustache even furrowed.
The scientist knows he's probably seen some seconds into the future.
Guiles eyes glowed a brighter purple. An intensifying colour, and the whole room was reinforced with his purple archaic energy including the scientists. Everything fluidly engulfed and infused in Guile's energy.
As time ticked. And ticked. And ticked again.
Though it was for a faint time, the scientists could hear a voice screaming in joy.
" Yeeeeeee Whooooooo ".
The ceiling cracked open as a man landed in the room. All the debris and rocks fly everywhere. If not for the Captain's Reinforcement they would have surely been bludgeoned by the rocks. Through the thick smoke, the scared scientists could manage to see a human shaped silhouette laughing. Chuckling in the dust. It was big. Tall.
And it was revealed, young and with a head of an intense orange red hair. Dark sea blue eyes.
They all knew who it was. Said to be the future of Superheroes and a member of the Vaughn Gunnes family. An Oldworlder.
Baran the scorcher.
The rocks floated back to place as if a man never crashed into their ceiling. This was mastery over a dominion. The power of Captain Guile.
" Did you have to do that?"
" Well Sir, you always say if you're gonna be late ", he opened his hands arms wide, in a proud grin, " then at least make an entrance ".
He always did whatever he wanted around the girls he had fun with. A terrible man he was. Terrible and irresistible.
And though he speaks with a full American accent. You could still hear a glimpse of his old world origin. The Vaughn Gunes family are the strongest clan of the old world.
And they were from the youngest of lands, the Land of Fall, Voaabisinia-Doma.
Baran turned to brother who was covered in tube like devices that monitored his whole body's equilibrium. Theo was chained and mumbled in ancient tongues. Words no one knew the meaning to.
" Harish....harush.....hatag....fee.....Ja....harsuh....har_ush. Kul_at ree hatagan luu...Waatagn anda ma ri Yuma. ...harush....harush.... ", the tone was vague with a hopeless disappointment. Like he was trying to speak but knew his heart would tie up his tongue. And so it was all mumbled indiscriminately and wistful it was.
It enraged the scorcher. A pitiful sight. As his brother could not embarrass the name of their family any further..
Captain Guile could see his fists clench and tighten. Already restraining himself.
But Baran had a restless grin. Trying to mask his emotions.
And so he said.
" Besides sir ",
Barans shifted in his footsteps and turned to Captain Guile.
" What did I miss?"